Conventionally, a recliner chair will move from an upright position, in which the backrest is generally upright, to one or more reclined positions, in which the backrest pivots to be less upright. The movement of the seating unit between the upright and reclined positions is typically controlled by a pair of synchronized reclining mechanisms that are attached to the seat, backrest and base of the chair. Many recliners will have an extendable footrest or ottoman that provides support for the occupant's feet in the reclined position.
One particularly popular recliner is the “three-way” recliner, which has two reclined positions: a “TV position”, in which the footrest or ottoman of the chair is projected forwardly from the chair while the backrest remains substantially upright and at substantially the same angle relative to the seat as in the upright position; and a “fully reclined position”, in which the backrest is less upright (ie., it has been reclined to a shallower angle relative to the floor). In a “three-way” recliner, the backrest pivots relative to the seat as the chair takes its fully reclined position; this differs from a “two-way” recliner, in which the backrest and seat are rigidly fixed and do not pivot relative to one another as the chair moves to the fully reclined position.
Many recliner chairs, particularly older models, have been rather bulky. In many instances the bulk of the chair was necessary to cover the reclining mechanism when the chair was in the upright position. However, in some instances it has now become desirable to incorporate a slimmer, sleeker look into furniture, so designers of recliner chairs have responded with designs intended to present a more contemporary look. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,444 to Rogers, Jr. illustrates a three-way recliner with a “wrap-around” upholstery layer. The upholstery layer is attached at one end to the rear portion of the seat and at its other end to the front end of the footrest. In the upright position, the footrest folds under the front portion of the seat in a generally horizontal disposition, such that the upholstery layer covers the upper surface of the seat, the lower surface of the footrest, and the front surface of the chair between the seat and the footrest. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,291 to Hoffman illustrates a contemporary “off-the-floor” style chair with three-way reclining capability.
The ability of a recliner chair to be placed with its backrest near a wall, such that it can move to the reclined positions while still avoiding the wall, can also be a desirable feature. Exemplary “wall-avoiding” chairs are illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,977 to Rogers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,772 to Rogers, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,957 to Rogers, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entireties. Typically “wall-proximity” or “wall-avoiding” seating units can be positioned so that the backrest is within about 3 inches of an adjacent wall in the upright position. This is typically achieved by including structure that enables the seat and backrest to move forwardly relative to the base as the chair moves to the TV and reclined positions.
It may be desirable to provide a recliner chair with wall-avoiding capability for additional styles of chairs, including so-called “high-leg” chairs.